As part of the conditions for been awarded the 1994 FIFA World Cup, the United States Soccer Federation had agreed to launch a new Level 1/Division 1 professional league. In December 1993, together with League One America and Major League Soccer, the APSL was one of three proposals that was put before the USSF national board of directors. At the time the APSL was the only candidate who were actually operating as a league. It featured several established clubs and its roster of players included several members of the United States men's national soccer team. Despite this they lost out to the MLS. [10][9] This decision was effectively the beginning of the end for the APSL and it subsequently went into decline. Despite rebranding itself as the A-League, it faced increasing competition on two fronts. The USISL, later to become the United Soccer Leagues, had initially confined itself to organising regional leagues. However by 1995 it began organising on a national level. By 1996 the MLS was also up and running and a number of top A-League players left to join it. [11] In 1996 the A-League and the USISL Select League agreed to merge. Six of the seven remaining A-League teams - Montreal Impact, Colorado Foxes, Seattle Sounders, Rochester Raging Rhinos, Vancouver 86ers and Atlanta Ruckus - and two planned A-League expansion teams Toronto Lynx and Hershey Wildcats effectively joined the USISL Select League. However the new league retained the A-League name. [12]